The best basketball dribbling drills are essentially completed in three phases. The first of those phases is mastering movement. The second of those phases will be to master handling. The final phase will be to combine both movement and handling into one fluid motion that facilitates the efficient and effective use of the basketball dribble.
Basketball Dribbling Tips:
1- Improve Your Footwork To Dribble Better In Basketball
Footwork is at the heart of everything that you do on a basketball court, primarily because of the speed at which the game is played. Footwork is also a critical component of the game because of the confined spaces within which you are forced to compete on a basketball court.
Beyond that, possessing sound footwork also helps compensate for any other physical shortcomings a basketball player might have. That applies to basketball players who might be tall and lanky, short and stubby, or basketball players who are easily fatigued.
Under these physical and playing circumstances, it is the finer margins that help set you apart from the competition and those finer margins are often determined by dribbling skills. Footwork provides the foundation you need to excel when dribbling a basketball under immense pressure.
This is why there will be tremendous emphasis on footwork drills in this article. These drills are the least developed players competing at a grassroots level.
2- Improve Your Ball Handling Skills To Dribble Better In Basketball
Hand-eye coordination is something that a select few are actually born with. While that might make your progress in basketball a lot quicker, it is no guarantee of success, or even efficiency. It is a skill that still needs to be harnessed, and remains a core component of your development, especially if you want to become better at dribbling.
The good news here is that those who are not born with those hand-eye skills can still be trained to excel with this on a basketball court. Like footwork, ball handling is a foundational skill that basketball players cannot really do without. This is why ball handling drills will also feature quite prominently in this article.
These drills are generally for the more intermediate players competing at a grassroots level.
3- Improve Your Shooting Skills To Dribble Better In Basketball
On the face of it, this might read as somewhat peculiar to you, as you wonder what links shooting could possibly have to dribbling on a basketball court. The best way to look at this is that your shooting ability will help determine the efficiency with which you dribble.
Being a foundational skill, shooting is something that one must learn to master, before moving on to the other technical aspects of the game. Dribbling would naturally fall into that bracket. The moment you master the art of shooting a basketball, the less time you will actually have to spend or waste on that in training. That additional training time can rather be spent on things like becoming a more efficient dribbler.
Something also worth storing at the back of your mind, in this context, is that shooting is something that requires quickfire thinking on a basketball - almost to the extent of being second-nature. If you are thinking too much about the shot that you need to take, that can serve as a distraction while dribbling in the build-up to taking that shot. In the end it comes down to ensuring that your mind is not too stretched to dribble as efficiently as one could or should.
These drills are for the slightly more advanced or developed players at the grassroots level.
Top 10 Basketball Dribbling Drills:
1- The Quick Stop Drill
Drill Instruction:
Do this drill with a group of peers or teammates, to stay stimulated.
Once you are all assembled, you can line up on any part of the basketball court, provided you have space to move forwards directly in front of you.
Start the drill by standing in a slightly athletic position, with the knees slightly bent.
Push forward off your right foot and then stop or land abruptly on both of your feet in a squatted position. Make sure that you land softly.
Land with your hands directly in front of your chest, as if you were holding the ball right in front of you.
When ready, straighten the body up and then hop forward once again.
Repeat this movement for recommended amount of time, alternating the feet that you will push off.
Recommended Regimen:
Do this for five minutes every training session.
2- Control Dribble Drill
Drill Instruction:
Start the drill by going down in a squat position.
Lift one of your arms above waist.
Use the other arm and hand to start bouncing the ball.
Make sure that the ball never bounces higher than your knees.
Make sure the ball goes straight up and down, without every deviating either to the left or to the right.
The bounces should be quick but they should also be controlled.
Repeat the drill for a recommended period, before switching sides and doing the exact same thing with the other hand.
Throughout, you should make sure that your elbow never flexes too much.
For the duration of the drill you should make sure that your back is straight and that your head is always up.
Never look down at the ball, as you will never have time to do that in a match situation.
Recommended Regimen:
Do this for five minutes every training session.
3- Shuffle Dribble Drill
Drill Instruction:
This drill is an extension or progression from the control dribble that you have just completed above.
Start the drill by performing the control dribble technique as indicated above.
When you have firmly established control of your dribble, start shuffling forward slowly, don’t sprint.
While maintaining that squat position, extend one leg forward at a time, while dribbling.
You are essentially walking while dribbling.
Recommended Regimen:
Do this for five minutes every training session.
4- Pretzel Walk Drill
Drill Instruction:
Start the drill standing on either end of the basketball court
Have the basketball in either your right or left hand to start off with
If you start with the ball in your right hand, take a step forward with with your left leg
If you start with the ball in your left hand, take a step forward with your right
While stepping forward, pass the basketball through your legs into the opposite hand and then back again with your next step
Repeat this passing exchange until you reach the center of the court and start making your way back towards the hoop
When you are ready and comfortable, you can increase the difficulty of the drill by doing it while jogging, instead of just walking
As a progression from jogging, and only when you are completely comfortable, you can then start completing this drill at a full sprint
Recommended Regimen:
Do this for five minutes every training session
5- North/South Dribble Drill
Drill Instruction:
Start the drill in an athletic position
When you are ready step forward with one foot and remain in a straddle position
If could be your right forward or it could be your left foot forward, whichever makes you feel the most comfortable
If your left foot is forward, you will dribble with your right arm
If your right foot is forward, you will dribble with yout left arm
Without moving, start dribbling the ball out in front of you
When you are comfortable, have your hand facing backwards and start dribbling backwards until the ball is behind your body
Without losing control, you must then take that same hand and face it forward and move the ball back to the position where you started
All the while exercising what we have now clearly established as the control dribble
When you are ready, you should switch and perform the drill with the other side of your body
Recommended Regimen:
Do this for five minutes every training session
6- Four Ball Drill
Drill Instruction:
You need to perform this drill with a partner
Each of you needs to have two basketball, one for each hand
Start the drill in an athletic position, facing each other....like gladiators
As a conservative measure, you should start off about 3 feet apart, and you can extend that to 5 feet apart when your are comfortable
Applying the principles of the control dribble, start dribbling/bouncing all four basketballs
When you are satisfied that you have sufficient control
One of you (partner A) will then bounce pass the ball from your left hand towards your partner’’s right hand (partner B)
Your partner will then bounce pass the ball in his right to your right hand
During this exchange, always keep dribbling the ball that is not being passed
When you are ready, you can then switch
Recommended Regimen:
Do this for five minutes every training session
7- Triangle Flip Flop Drill
Drill Instruction:
Start this drill while standing in a completely upright position, and not the athletic position that has been associated with the other drills in this article
You need two balls to perform this drill
The first of those balls will be held in front of you with your left hand, while the second of those balls will be held behind you with your right hand
Dribble the basketball with the hand in front of you
At the same time, use your back hand to flip that ball into the air
Whilst the second ball is in the air, quickly switch your hands, so you can collect the ball with your opposite hand, and dribble with the other
Continue switching when you feel comfortable
This drill will develop your coordination
Recommended Regimen:
Do this for five minutes every training session
8- Drive Dribble Drill
Drill Instruction:
Start this drill in an athletic triple threat position, as if you were holding a basketball out in front of you
Take a long and low first step forward with either your right or your left leg
Whichever leg you do not step forward with is your turning/rotating foot
When you are stretched forward, you back leg will be fully extended and straight
Once you are stretch out, relax and then step back up into your starting position
Keep switching sides until you are comfortable
When you are comfortable you can start performing this drill with a basketball and actually dribbling it while you are driving your body forward
Recommended Regimen:
Do this for five minutes every training session
9- East/West Dribble Drill
Drill Instruction:
Start the drill in an athletic position
You can then start to dribble with either you left arm or your right arm
Without moving, start dribbling the ball from one side of your body to the other and then backwards again, without exchanging hands
So, this entire drill needs to be performed with just the one hand and without losing control
All the while exercising what we have now clearly established as the control dribble
When you are ready, you should switch and perform the drill with the other side of your body
Recommended Regimen:
Do this for five minutes every training session
10- V Cut Footwork Drill
Drill Instruction:
Start this drill in an athletic position, with arms out in front of you as if a basketball were cupped in your hands, directly in front of your chest
Using the drive dribble principles that we have mentioned above, drive your body forward, either towards your left or your right, depending on what you are most comfortable with
Once you have taken two or three steps, you should then shift your body weight into the opposite direction, by pushing off the foot that you drove forward with in the first place
The idea is to then keep moving backwards and forwards in a zig-zag position, in an attempt to wrong foot the defending player
The moment before you plant your foot and push off into the opposite direction should almost feel like slow motion
However, the subsequent movement should then be quick, it must be sudden like that of a snake
Keep repeating the movement from one side to the other
Recommended Regimen:
Do this for five minutes every training session
Conclusion
The best dribblers on a basketball court have the capacity to control the movement of their bodies, while also controlling the movement of the basketball. One seldom works out as planned without the other.
That is why we have included a combination of footwork and handling drills in this article. Most of them can be performed in isolation, but the real skill is being able to incorporate the two into one controlled movement, and under pressure.
Hey, I’m Aleksandar and I am a Basketball freak! That is why I decided to create this blog. Teaching people How to dunk a basketball and How to Jump Higher in this sport or other related sports that require vertical jumping, is my specialty. If that’s your aim, then you have come to the right place.